Which 4.1 soundcard?

[billward]

I'm looking for a good sound card approximately around 50-75$. I have 4.1 speakers, so it has to be compatible with them. I listen music a lot, so it has to be able to make the music sound very nice. It wouldn't hurt, if it also had good sound in games. If it is any help, you can see what I listen to here

 

[Sagekilla]

Taking your specifications to the word ($50 to $75) theres two that would do fine


Auzentech
Turtle Beach

Any card that has 6/8 discrete outputs should support 4.1 as well, I'm sure you'll be pretty happy with either of those two.

 

[billward]

It sounds like there is another more expensive card, you can recommend. Which card is it?

 

[funnyvlad]

Well you could look at the Creative Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeMusic. The bulk edition is 100$ in Sweden but I think you can get it for 70$ in U.S.

 

[billward]

I'm from Denmark, so I prefer buying it for 100 bucks in Sweeden It's a pain finding the sound cards newegg has in Denmark.
It should be this one, right? Is there any compatibility probelems with a 64 bit processor, or any other compatibility problems, I should be aware of?

 

[choirbass]

the Auzentech X-Meridian is a 'very' nice sound card in general (for both analog and digital connections)... though it may be overkill for what youre wanting though, and possibly more expensive than what youre willing to pay
The same company also sells the X-Plosion and X-Mystique

heres a link to info about it on the manufacturers site, it was released to stores less than a month ago also:

http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-meridian.php

 

[funnyvlad]

Yes it looks like that card(i am not sure if it´s retail though) BUT I was wrong that you could get the bulk version for 100$ in Sweden. I forgot that the us $ have got weaker the last two weeks so it is more like 105$ + shipping. The taxes are included though. 64-bits compatibility? I don´t know cause I run an old 32-bits system (P4 2,8 (533) )

 

[billward]

Okay, so far there has been mentioned 4 sound cards.
AuzenTech XMYSTIQUE
Turtle Beach TBS-3300-01
AuzenTech Auzen X-Meridian
Creative Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeMusic

Now how on earth do I choose, which one to buy :?:

 

[choirbass]

for the most part, cost is a main determining factor in what you would be able to get:

X-Meridian is $199.95 USD at http://www.sewelldirect.com
http://sewelldirect.com/AUZEN-X-MERIDIAN-71-sound-board.asp
(it wasnt at newegg that i saw)

X-FI is $92.99 USD at http://www.newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188

X-Mystique is $69.89 USD at http://www.amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Bluegear-Digital-Mystique-Gold-Windows/dp/B000BAV3SW

Turtle Beach Montego DDL (TBS-3300-01) is $49.99 USD at http://www.amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/TURTLE-BEACH-TBS-3300-01-Montego-Sound/dp/B0009MFQ4Y

beyond price, each card has their own individual benefits... the montego ddl and x-mystique are identical in regards to audio chipsets (both offer dd live 5.1, but the x-mystique includes an optical cable and has both optical and coaxial connections for digital, the montego ddl only has optical for its digital connections, and does not include an optical cable with it)... the successor to the x-mystique and montego ddl was the x-plosion (it offers dd live 5.1 and dts interactive 5.1)... the successor to the x-plosion was the x-meridian (dd live 5.1, dts interactive 5.1, high fidelity 7.1 analog)

as far as the x-fi, other people im sure can inform you well about it as far as features

 

[funnyvlad]

If you can, take the cheapest one. If you are a newbie about soundcards then definitevely take the cheapest one.

The first three aren´t so easy to get in Sweden. It is a small country and the market is small. Creative has a small monopoly here and good marketing(like Microsoft). If you hate companies that spend a lot on marketing then buy the cheapest one that is not a Creative product.